6 Tips To Stop Mice, Rats, & Other Pests from Chewing on Your Vehicle's Wires in Salem, Oregon

July 11, 2019

We know that you love your Chevy. Unfortunately, you may not be the only one. Mice, rats, and even squirrels may think that your car is a swell place to take shelter. Rodents are constantly gnawing, which can be bad news for the wires in your car.

At Capitol Chevrolet, we want to make sure you have the information you need to take care of your Chevy. That's why we've put together this page with six tips on how to deal with rodents who chew the wires in your Chevy.

6. Move Your Chevy Regularly

The engine area of a car can be a perfect rodent hideout: it's shady in the summer and provides protection in the winter. The best way to keep pests out of the engine? Make it less inviting by turning it on regularly. The heat and volume will go a long way towards making it inhospitable.

5. Park in a Garage

If you have a garage that's so filled with stuff that you can't fit your car inside, now is the time to clean it up. While rodents can still get into a garage, the walls and door do provide some measure of protection. Simply moving your car may be enough to deter pests. However. . . .

4. Seal Your Garage

If mice have already made their way into your garage, they may still try to take up residence in your Chevy. A good way to prevent this is to seal your garage. First, carefully examine your garage's walls, looking for cracks or other areas a mouse could get through. Then, seal those areas with steel wool.

 

3. Move Food Away from the Car

Food is one of the major things that draws pests--and if rodents find shelter near a food source, they may think they have a sweet deal! To make your car less inviting, we recommend moving any food away from it, particularly bins of pet food.

2. Use Taste & Smell Deterrents or Set Traps

If the rodents are still getting through, there are products available that are meant to deter them. Usually, these come in the form of a spray or a tape that tastes bad, and they often use capsaicin (the chemical component that makes peppers spicy). Applying these to the wires in your car may make them less inviting. Powdered fox urine is also an option; smelling this can make a rodent think that a predator is nearby.

While you could also use mothballs, we don't recommend it if you have pets or children in the house. After all, they're filled with toxic pesticides and can be harmful if they're eaten, touched, or even smelled.

Alternately, you could set mouse traps. These are generally effective and quick to set, but they may be messier than some of the other options.